Kommentar zu Wajikra 26:2

‎'אני ה‎ I AM THE LORD, Who am faithful to pay you your reward.

את שבתותי תשמורו, even during the period when you find yourselves in exile, even though that any rest observed during such periods is a reminder of your erstwhile freedom instead of your slavery in Egypt, and the fact that even G’d rested on the seventh day.

את שבתתי תשמורו, "Observe My Sabbaths!" Why did the Torah again repeat the commandment to observe the Sabbath? I believe the Torah wanted to write the commandment of Sabbath-observance next to the commandment preceding it not to make anything resembling idolatrous symbols. This is the Torah's way of reminding us that just as idolatry or rather abstaining from it is equivalent to observing the entire Torah, so Sabbath-observance is also equivalent to observance of the whole Torah. [This does not absolve a person from the observance of any other commandment; it simply means that one demonstrates one's commitment to Torah by either Sabbath-observance or abstaining from anything idolatrous. Ed.]

את שבתותי תשמורו ומקדשי תיראו, “You are to observe My Sabbaths and you are to revere My Sanctuary.” According to Sifra Behar 9,6 this verse is a comprehensive warning to observe all the commandments. According to Nachmanides the Sifra means that by warning about the pitfalls of selling a Jew to a Gentile and what might happen to his religious observances while he is in the household of such a Gentile, the Torah effectively issues a warning concerning the observance of all the commandments. Once he is in the house of an idolater he is liable to stop all Jewish observances. Alternatively, we may see in the warning concerning the Sabbath and the Sanctuary a warning which embraces all the commandments, as between them they represent the whole Torah.

את שבתותי תשמורו ומקדשי תיראו, “You shall keep My Sabbaths, and revere My Sanctuary.” The Torah draws a clear parallel between the Temple and the Sabbath. It tells us that just as the observance of the Sabbath as a holy day is a permanent commandment the reverence for the Temple is similarly a commandment that has no time limit. [The temple site is sacred ground even when the temple is not standing. Ed.] This is the meaning of אות היא לעולם, “it is a sign forever.” (Exodus 31,17.)

את שבתותי תשמורו, “You shall keep My Sabbaths;” according to the understanding of Targum Yerushalmi, the Torah here speaks about the sh’mittah years every seventh year. Those years are also called Sabbaths.

ומקדשי תיראו; the holy sites of the Jewish people during the years of their exile, such as Torah academies and synagogues. Ezekiel 11,15 describes such buildings as מקדש מעט, a “miniature Temple.” Our sages state that he referred by this definition to Torah academies and synagogues.

אני ה, “I am the Lord.” These words are a reminder that G’d’s stature as the Lord means that He either rewards or punishes those that observe or transgress the laws of the Torah. Wherever the words אני ה' appear they mean that the commandment they refer to is a very important commandment and that G’d is the one Who rewards or punishes people who observe it or ignore it. This is the reason that this portion concludes with these two important commandments. It is natural that a king commands his subjects to respect and honour him. He does not need to explain why he demands such obeisance. It is enough for him to remind his subjects that he is the king.
Tanchuma (Bereshit 12) in commenting on Genesis 41,44 draws a comparison for us from when Pharaoh said to Joseph: “I am Pharaoh but without you no one shall lift a hand or foot in the whole land of Egypt.” Pharaoh had already given Joseph his ring of office empowering him to exercise his authority. If the use of the word אני when spoken by a ruler who was only flesh and blood such as Pharaoh carried so much weight, imagine how much weight the word אני when spoken by G’d the ruler of the whole universe must carry. Solomon made a similar point in Kohelet 8,2 where he wrote: אני פי מלך שמור ועל דברת שבועת אלוהים, “whenever the word אני appears, I warn you to observe it carefully; it is an oath of G’d.”

In addition to that the fact that the שמיטות are also called "Sabbaths" (compare 28,2) and that commandment is tied to reverence for the Holy Temple, we are reminded of the statement that the Holy Temple was destroyed due to the failure to observe the שמיטה laws (compare 26,34).

ומקדשי תיראו, “and revere My Sanctuary;” keep the Yovel year as a holy year. (This is the interpretation of Midrash Tanchuma)

The Torah linked Sabbath-observance to reverence for the Holy Temple to tell us not to become guilty of the destruction of the Temple due to failure to observe the Sabbath. We have pointed out previously that when G'd pours out His anger over stones and wood, this is one way of G'd's restraining His anger at human beings.